Fitness Frenzy: What's Hot For 2010

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

The "fitness craze" may have been "born" back in the (early) 80s...but it seems as if it's here to stay. After all with more and more of us leading increasingly sedentary lives, a regular fitness and exercise routine is essential to helping keep us looking and feeling great inside and out.

Recreation is probably the best way to help us re-create our health, stamina and physique...and whether you're the outdoor type, gym "rat", or homebody, staying in shape is taking great new shape for fitness enthusiasts of all ages and levels.

Here's what's hot in helping keep you looking and feeling hot in 2010.

1. Budget-Friendly fitness: Helping us trim our fitness expenses is part of what you can expect as the top trend this year. In fact you can expect gyms and fitness facilities to offer more for less and to make it easy even for those counting their pennies to join. Lots of inexpensive fitness gear is also all the rage making it simpler and easier to work out at home.

2. Group fitness "incentives": While one-on-one training is optimal for personalized structure and specific results, group fitness can is a leading trend in 2010 for those looking to "cut costs" (since your splitting the cost with other participants), meet people, and stay inspired and motivated. From step and water aerobics to group dance, yoga, and strength training classes, fitness is quickly becoming the "new" social scene.

3. Time-friendly workouts: With many of us more pressed for time than ever, most of us need to do more than gym, tan, and laundry. Time-efficient workouts, which offer the same benefits and results via a structured program/routine, are shaping the future of fitness.

4. Fitness fun for the whole family: Don't have the time to get the whole family together for a game of tennis, volleyball or bike riding? Weather not cooperating? No need to worry. Exergaming (via Wii fit and other such programs) making it easy to enjoy these outdoor activities from the comfort of your own home are gaining in popularity and becoming more affordable. Just remember they are no substitute for getting out there and enjoying life and the fresh air...but they ARE fabulous fitness alternatives that offer some serious thrills when at-home fitness is your only option.

5. Baby Boomer Programs: More and more people are realizing that part of growing "older" gracefully means staying young at heart, body, mind and spirit...and more and more "adults" are living longer, more active lives, and that includes working out. Exercising is the other important half of maintaining your health and keeping up with life and 2010 promises to offer more age-structured classes for seniors and the baby-boomer crowd.

6. Functional and personal training: As, thanks to the help of Bob Green and Dr. Oz, more and more people are embracing the benefits of a structured fitness plan, one that meets their own goals and needs, structured functional and personal training will continue to be a leading trend. Focus will center on achieving personal goals for fitness and health and will include dynamic body movements that mimic activities we do each day.

7. Increase in health awareness: Expect collaboration between government and commercial organizations to spread the work about the benefits of eating right and exercising. This in light of expert predictions that many ailments, illnesses and diseases can be kept at bay via a healthy lifestyle and their expectations that nearly 75% of Americans will be overweight by 2015 and 41% will be obese. Working out is part of keeping us feeling and looking young and healthy and possibly keeping us out of the doctor's office.

8. Designer exercise: Gone are the days of physical fitness that was mundane and routine. The new millennium and 2010 offers a myriad of interesting and even "sexy" fitness classes for all personality types and levels. From Pilates and yoga for the more "spiritually" minded to Zumba, Jukari (a trapeze-like workout), belly dancing, and pole and strip aerobics, staying in shape is being driven by what's hot in hip-hop culture...and for many is finally "fun". Other specialty workouts include core strength; BOSU Balance Trainer exercises; Yoga Fusion Exercises, Ballast Ball exercises; and Foam Roller exercises to name a few.

9. New and Improved Fitness Training Tools: 2010 is the year for more mobile fitness apps, exergames, and GPS tracking devices. You can also expect wearable body monitors designed to give us extensive info on our bodies including calories burned to sleep patterns.

10. Specialty Professionals: Clubs and fitness pros alike will take certification more seriously as emphasis on health and fitness increases and credentials become more and more important. You can also expect to see more and more pros specializing in more than one area and taking a total body approach to health and fitness.